BBG Journals No.1

I get emails and DM’s daily asking if I plan on sharing my BBG journey with you guys – before and afters, the whole nine. You guys want all the deets, and I don’t blame you! So, to say this post has been requested like crazy is an understatement haha. I’ve been wanting to share my journey and experience, but if I’m being honest, it’s a bit intimidating. I am truly so proud of how far I’ve come, but am still working daily to get to where I want to be. While we are on that topic, I want to emphasize that I really believe in celebrating along the way and giving yourself grace on the days you find you’re not where you want to be just yet. I always strive to live in a mindset of progress, not perfection (in all areas of life).

A little bit of backstory…

I played completive sports all the way through high-school. Since then, I’ve done everything from Pure Barre to boxing, spinning and even CrossFit. I am someone who truly enjoys working out. Are there mornings when I have to push myself to get up and get after it? Of course! But, all in all, I have always enjoyed working out. Not only for the way it makes me look, but also how it makes me feel. I have more energy, feel more productive, sleep better, and am over all a happier person when I work out.

When I got pregnant with Kinsley, I still made it a priority to work out (of course, I modified things drastically). Somedays, I worked out in the gym (did circuits and lifted or cardio). Other days I just went for walks (and let me tell you, this got harder as I got bigger and Austin got warmer lol). I actually filmed a third trimester pregnancy workout video with a trainer and friend that I’ve worked out with off and on the past 10 years. If you are pregnant and want an idea of some of the things I did while very pregnant, you can check it out here.

After having Kins, I *gladly* took off the suggested 6 weeks to spend 100% of my time enjoying her and, of course, letting my body recover.

Now let’s get to it!

When I got cleared by my doctor, I was so ready to jump in and get my pre-baby bod back lol. I decided to do BBG because I could do the workouts from home and they were fairly short (28 minutes total), so I felt like I could make that happen, even with a newborn.

Let me keep it real here…the first few weeks were ROUGH. Even though I stayed in shape while pregnant, giving birth does a number on your body.

If you are new around here or maybe missed Kinsley’s birth story – you can read it here. To summarize, I had a 26-hour labor, and it was pretty brutal.While labor totally does a number on your body, it’s also so amazing how quickly the female body recovers! And let me just say – it’s SO worth it to have that precious baby!

The first few times I tried to do a sit-up, I literally couldn’t get off the ground. No joke! I remember trying to mentally will myself to move and I literally couldn’t lol! My abs were gone (in the beginning, I just did what I could and modified the sit-ups to crunches, etc.). At the end of the workouts, I just about had to call Alex down to peel me off the floor, but each week I got stronger and stronger. Each week, things got easier.

BBG has been a game-changer for me! I am feeling even better than I did before I had Kinsley and stronger by the day.

How long have you been doing BBG?

I got about as far as 8-9 weeks and then the holidays hit, so I decided to enjoy them and resume back January 1st. I started January first, and recently completed the full 12 weeks! Honestly, I have never felt better. I just started my official round 2 and am currently on week 3! I know a bunch of you guys have joined in and it’s been so fun having that community! #BBGwithBYOB

Do you use the print-outs or the app?

I have and love the app. It times everything for you and makes it so much easier than trying to use the papers and keep track on your own. This is a total personal preference, but I highly recommend the app! I had a lot of you ask if it’s free – it’s not. It does cost money (I can’t remember how much, just look in the app store), but it’s well worth it.

Have you lost weight?

Yes, I am smaller now than I was pre-Kinsley. I can tell the biggest difference in my clothes! Things like my jean size etc.

Do you do the meal plan?

No, I don’t follow her meal plan, but do try to eat pretty well. I felt like doing a full-on meal plan and being a first-time mom was a little aggressive haha, so instead I try to eat healthy but also don’t deprive myself of things! Y’all know I love a good Rice Krispy treat (or 7).

I’ll be sharing a few of our go-to, healthy, and easy recipes here soon.

Did you start with the postpartum or regular BBG? Which one are you doing now?

Regular BBG! I am doing the same one now. It still stays hard because as you get stronger, you do more reps and move faster.

How long are the workouts?

28 minutes total. There are two 7-minute circuits and you do each one, two times! Each circuit has 4 exercises in it, and you basically just do 1,2,3,4 and then repeat if you have time.

Do you need any equipment?

I use a yoga mat, 10lb weights and our stairs for things like the step-ups. It would also be good to have a jump rope, but if you don’t you could just jump without one. Some of the later weeks use a bench, but I just modified, and jumped high as if there was a bench there.

Will you share your before and after photo?

Let me start by saying this is totally out of my comfort zone, but has been so highly requested, so I decided to do it. While I am and was SO proud of the body on the left because it grew and brought human life into the world, before photos are always a little cringe worthy.

My before was 6 weeks postpartum and my after was after I finished the full 12 weeks (so the first 8 weeks, holiday break and then full 12).

I’m excited that this time around the picture on the right gets to be my before! I hope this post was helpful for you guys. I’ll keep you just posted on the rest of my BBG journey! Who else is doing it with me?!

your blog is awesome! And I have just started bbg too after all the great reviews from bloggers out there. I guess I'm just a little confused by the format. 3x resistance training 3x Liss training and 2x rest and 1x challenge ... adds up to 9 days total. are we supposed to do multiple trainings in one day?

Courtney,
Your before and after pictures look amazing! I love when people share real life things with their readers! I also love your workout outfit! Getting a new outfit to workout in always helps motivate me!
Xo,
Kelsey
http://kelseyatfirstglance.com

MY favorite part about your story is that you KEPT IT siMPLE AND REAL. You did this on your own with the helo of Alex getting you off the floor lol, no meal plan or trainer or expensive cleanse this is such a great read. Lots of people get discouraged cause they feel like they need so much before they can start when all they need to do is just start.

I have never made it through the full 12 weeks of bbg in the past few years and decided to download the app and join you this round! The app is so worth it and has made it much easier to stay on track! Thanks for the motivation!

Girl, you look amazing! Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing with us. I started bbg with you eight weeks postpartum with my third baby and it has been kicking my butt! i am starting week eight of my second round and you are helping me stay motivated 👊🏻

Thanks so much for posting! I definitely needed to be pointed in the direction of a productive but achievable workout program so this is super helpful! I’m not necessarily overweight, but I am very weak and I don’t sleep well. I think that having a strong body will help me in so many ways, so thank you for the inspiration!

You look fabulous in both photos. The fact that you shared them is something you should take tremendous pride in. Besides looking great, your confidence is truly inspiring. Doing something to help others, especially when you feel vulnerable is a gift. Thank you!!

Thank you, thank you and thank you for sharing this! You are doing amazing and give me so much motivation for around mid August when i'll hit my 6 weeks post partum. I'm really looking forward to getting back into it in a normal capacity! I'm totally going to do a before and after photo now that i've seen this. Even if it's just for my own purpose! thanks again, such a great post.

You look amazing! That is a lot of progress! I almost skipped bbg today and this just made me get up and get through week 3 legs at almost 9pm (I normally do them in the morning). Please share your fav recipes! I am finally getting my work outs in but now I have to get my meals right!

What size did you get in the sports bra? Ive been trying to find a good sports bra since having my baby and have not had any luck. Need something to hold them up and seperated(hate when sports bras make you look like you have a uniboob)
thanks

Hi! I so appreciate you putting yourself out there and sharing real life with us. On a personal note, do you recommend the sports bra you shared for larger chested women? My baby is only 2 months older than yours :) and lets just say having a baby made my ladies double in size. I'm finding it hard to do active workouts because the ladies just bounce so much now lol. Looks for a great sports bra with a lot of support. Thanks for the help!